


Cold blooded fire

by PoCATo



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avatar State, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Badass Katara (Avatar), Badass Sokka (Avatar), Badass Toph Beifong, Child Abandonment, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, Crazy Azula (Avatar), Fire Nation (Avatar), Fire Nation Royal Family, Found Family, Gen, Genocide, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Not Beta Read, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, POV Alternating, POV Multiple, Parent/Child Incest, Past Sexual Abuse, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Sad with a Happy Ending, Shock, Spirits, Stubborn Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Toph Being Awesome, Zuko Angst, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, solar eclipse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-19 17:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20213716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoCATo/pseuds/PoCATo
Summary: A gift for electrons, is what I would like to happen at the end of their fic ‘Fight’. Recommend to read that before for more context. But just to be clear is a set-up for an AU where Zuko joined the gaang at CoD and now the invasion is taking place.





	Cold blooded fire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Electrons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Electrons/gifts), [nebulababe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nebulababe/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Fight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13352214) by [Electrons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Electrons/pseuds/Electrons). 

> **Warning!** This was a sudden idea and also my first written work.  
English is not my first lenguage, so expect a lot mistakes and maybe OCCs.  
I also do not own “Avatar: The Last Airbender” series or the characters or even the AU setting.  
All comments are appreciated and constructive criticism even more so!  
Enjoy!!!

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Katara was right. We shouldn’t have let him talk.

It’s funny how the invasion just took a few hours of preparation, correction, and execution -- the most important part lasting only eight minutes-- but everything that really mattered happened in the few seconds after.

But no one is laughing.

The Fire Lord played dirty, He warned us, warned ME, but I had hoped that I could solve things my way.

I don’t know what I was expecting.

I’ve never seen someone move so  _ fast _ , and I’ve seen airbenders, I am one _ \--the last one, that’s wrong there should be more, there’s no balance, no order just chAoS -- _ in fact I can bend all four of the elements, but what good did that do for him or for me when the technique that saved me couldn’t save him, and it only required  _ fire _ .

He saved her, after everything.

The Fire Lord is talking, saying cruel things about her, about him. Some of them I don’t understand  _ \-- who was he replacing? --  _ But it doesn’t matter. Not anymore.

Ozai has his fire back, and we are in the hottest place in The Caldera, the heart of The Fire Nation. Even then, never before have I felt so cold.

Everything that mattered happened in a few seconds: There was a flash. A sound. He ran. He leaped. He caught it. He was sent flying. Now he is not moving _ \-- why isn’t he moving? _

Nothing breathed.

And then, I got angry.

And everything went  _ white. _

******

I can’t feel him.

How did things turn out like this?

Aang had already put up a wall between that monster and where I last heard him fall.

He hated when I concentrated on his heartbeat, but now it’s the only thing I want to feel.

Why did he have to come for us so soon?

Why did he care about that ungrateful sociopath?

What were the Dai Li doing even here!?

It’s  _ his entire fault. _

There aren’t a lot of things that can face me anymore-- in part because I can’t really see them, but also because any challenge thrown my way, I have smashed, smothered, and conquered long before this day.

I’m the best earthbender in the world.

But I can’t help feeling scared.

I despise it.

That stupid wooden throne doesn’t even show me if he’s even  _ there _ .

My dad has nothing on this guy.

The one that Aang  _ \-- no, The Avatar -- _ is currently using as a punching bag.

Better take care of the amateurs fast. I want to leave a few bruises on that mosquito-cockroach before we detain him.

I feel  _ terrified _ and I  _ hate it. _

But that just makes me feel  _ angrier _ .

I’m the greatest at what I do, and when I feel like this, I become scarier than the thing that scares me. Curiously, I didn’t learn that in Gaoling. Sparky is a great teacher.

******

Sokka better have a good reason for why he hasn’t let me go yet.

He tackled us to the floor to avoid any stray lightning, but there’s nothing now, and still my brother is pinning me down.

I’m a healer, and he needs me more now than ever before. Any other attack I can deflect, long before it could come near.

Once I take care of it, I can calm down Aang before he does something he may regret.

Toph will be no help.

After Zuko saved her from that… demon, Azula just fell to her knees, in shock. A small, dark, and ugly part of me is angry that she didn’t face the consequences of her actions more directly, but at least that’s one way to put her out of commission without the need to control her blood _ \-- I can still feel the moon, it’s so close to how it felt that night, except that it’s barely evening. _

I have just enough water for one emergency session. It should be enough.

It  _ has to be. _

I will not believe otherwise.

Now I just wait until Sokka gives me the go ahead.

This plan better be a good one.

We can’t afford anything else.

******

He didn’t know what to  _ do. _

He was supposed to be the plan guy.

I came too far to freeze and disconnect from reality like this.

Yet here we are.

All that happened; it seemed to have slowed to a crawl, and speed up to far too much.

There was light and a booming noise  _ \-- something exploded, like some of the invading ships did when activating an underwater mine --  _ and there that Jerk went and stopped when he stuck the pillar and then fell onto the throne; he collapsed and I hoped that he would get up once more, but half-way there, he started to move weirdly and then stilled _ \-- oh Yue please, let him be alive -- _ and then that Monster started talking, spewing horrible things, and then Aang got angry, Toph did too.

And now Katara is waiting on me to tell her what to do.

The last of the Dai Li were taken care of. Honestly, I would have helped, but none of my weapons can help me if I can’t get near, and my boomerang needs more room to be effective.

I don’t want my sister to be on the battlefield, not even as the healer.

Azula was supposed to stay on the sidelines and now she’s having a breakdown in the middle of the field.

Okay, back on track. We need reinforcements.

I reluctantly let Katara go of the safe, comfortable, black volcanic ground, and she went ahead to use her waterbending healing on that moron.

Once I chain up crazy blue fire, I’ll do the same for the father of the year and take Aang with her to get more help.

This battle is over.

And suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

Hang in there buddy.

******

Why?

Why would that dum-dum do that?

Why would he save me?

After father treated me like him?

After I tried to kill him so many times?

Zu-zu, I don’t get it.

_ Mother said I was a monster. _

Why did you take the hit for me?

I wasn’t perfect for you, just for father.

_ Maybe that’s why. _

What?

_ Your big brother loves you, there’s nothing else to see. He doesn’t have ideas of what you need to be. He just wishes for a nicer, simpler life. _

Shut up.

That’s treason!

_ Is it truly? _

…

_ You need your family. Zuko can and will help you, but first you have to make sure he lives. _

Very well then. What about our Uncle?

_ Zuzu will take care of it, like he always did with things that you couldn’t do before. _

******

Everything hurt.

Master Piandao and Lu-Ten had given him tips for when his body refused to obey, and he was sure he was in the spirit world even if Avatar Roku wasn’t there, because his sister was standing and helping Katara move him away. And now she was chained while the waterbender mended the skin that the cold blooded fire cooked  _ \-- smells like fried cow-pig. _ And now that it was mostly done Katara went to calm down Aang. Sokka made her and the avatar go get the rest of the troops while he and the little earthbender keep guard.

Toph was suddenly looming over him. Her expression seemed relieved from what he could gather with his blurred vision.

Azula was unconscious. No surprises there.

Finally, it was over.

Now Uncle just has to claim his rightful place.

But nothing in his life has ever been easy.

He couldn’t wait to see what was next.

**Author's Note:**

> short story is short.  
sorry if it's bad.  
edit: thanks J_Ace_Flicker for revising my work, now it should be better!


End file.
